Buckle-slider and adjustable strap articles



June 27, 1967 R. v. MATHISON 3,327,361

BUCKLE-SLIDER AND ADJUSTABLE STRAP ARTICLES Filed Dec. 17, 1964 v wn wnz-imwnw V Y ".1 b

FIG? 45 I N VENTOR.

ROBERT MATHISON ATT'YS United States Patent 3,327,361 BUCKLE-SLIDER AND ADJUSTABLE STRAP ARTICLES Robert V. Mathison, Woodcrest Road, Asheville, NC. 28804 Filed Dec. 17, 1964, Ser. No. 419,039 7 Claims. (Cl. 24-198) This invention in general relates to improvements in devices used in association with adjustable straps, belts and the like. More particularly, the invention pertains to slider devices adapted to securely grip a strap member of an adjustable strap arrangement to hold it in the adjusted position while permitting easy adjustment of said adjustable strap from one adjustment position to another.

Adjustable straps, belts and the like are used extensively on articles of diverse nature and are almost universally used on feminine undergarments such as shoulder straps of slips, brassieres, etc., mens braces, and like articles. This invention pertains to improvements in the slide fastener devices used in adjustable straps, belts, etc.,

wherein an open framework embodying a crossbar with small, tapered, slanting projections on a face thereof is utilized to securely grip a strap element thereon against sliding displacement in one direction over said crossbar. The projections on said face slant toward one end of the slider devices and penetrate the interstices of the fabric of the strap element to hold it against sliding movement over said face of the bar in a direction opposite to the direction of slant of said projections, giving a buckle function in this aspect. The strap element, however, is readily disengaged from said projections when it is pulled over said face in a direction the same as the direction of slant of said projections, giving a slider function in this aspect.

In addition to the above described crossbar, the buckleslider devices of the invention embody other Crossbars, one of which is divided to provide a split or space therein for a purpose later described.

The invention, its objects and its advantages, will be further appreciated from the following description of preferred embodiments which are illustrated in the drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an adjustable strap arrangement embodying a stra loop of adjustable overall length in association with a buckle-slider device of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a section view taken on section plane 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the buckle-slider.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged section taken on section plane 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, top plan view of a fragment of the cross bar of said buckle-slider as viewed from plane 5-5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of another adjustable strap arrangement embodying the buckle-slider shown in FIGS. 1-5.

FIG. 7 is a section taken on section plane 7-7 of FIG. 6.

The illustrated buckle-slider 10 preferably is a molded, thermoplastic or thermosetting polymer article in the form of a substantially fiat, open framework. The buckleslider comprises side bars 11 and 12, a main crossbar 13, additional cross-bars 14 and 1S, and a split bar 16 comprising aligned legs 17 and 18.

Referring now to the adjustable strap embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the adjustable strap embodies of a loop which can be lengthened o-r shortened to adjust the overall length of the adjustable strap. The latter comprises a strap portion 19 secured by any suitable means to a slide member 20. The slide member 20 is a flat, rectangular,

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open frame member having crossbars 21 and 22 joined to side bars 23 and 24. In the illustrated embodiment, the strap portion 19 is looped about the crossbar 21 and secured thereabout by stitching 25.

The other strap portion 26 of the adjustable strap has one end 27 looped about the crossbar 14 of buckle-slider 11 through the space 28 between crossbars 14 and 15. The end 27 is secured about or to crossbar 14 by any suitable means, e.g., by stitching 29 which holds the end 27 in loop form.

The strap portion 26 is looped or folded at 30 about crossbar 22 of slide member 20, the return portion 31 of which completes the length-adjustable loop portion of the adjustable strap. The return portion 31 preferably is on the rear or underside of the adjustable strap and is threaded upwardly or outwardly through the space 32 between crossbars 13 and 15, across the upper or outer face 33 of crossbar 13 and back through the space 34 between crossbar 13 and legs 17 and 18 whereby it lies against the rear or underside of legs 17 and 18.

The face 33 of crossbar 13 has a plurality of slanting proje tions 35 arranged in at least two rows extending longitudinally along crossbar 13. The projections 35 have axes disposed at an acuate angle, preferably in the range of about 30 to 60, with respect to the plane of face 33. They slant in a direction outwardly from face 33 and away from legs 17 and 18 and are located close to the edge portion 36 of crossbar 13, which edge portion is also the edge portion farthest from crosslegs 17 and 18. The edge portion 37 of crossbar 13, which portion is closest to legs 17 and 18, is smooth and free from projections because additional projections on this portion do not add to the strap-securing function to any appreciable extent.

The slanting projections 35 have relatively sharp outer edges or tips 38, which edges or tips may be slightly blunted if desired. The relatively sharp edges or tips facilitate penetration of the fabric strap interstices by the projections whereby the adjustable strap may be locked disengageably in the adjusted position.

The portion 43 of strap 26 which is threaded across face 33 is held down against face 33 when the adjustable strap is in axial tension by virtue of the threading beneath or behind crossbar 15, over face 33, and again be neath or behind legs 17 and 1-8. The axial tension on strap portion 26 also creates a pulling or tension force in the strap segment 43 lying against face 33 in a direction opposite the direction of slant of projections 35. This pulling or tension force works the penetrated fabric downwardly on projections 35 toward face 33 by virtue of the sloping, shortest, undersides 39 of projections 35, which undersides are also disposed at an acute angle relative to the face 33. As the projection-penetrated fabric strap segment 43 is pulled under said pulling or tension force, its threads about the penetrated interstices are drawn against said undersides 39 and, by virtue of the acute angle slope of said undersides, tend to work downwardly toward the face 33.

On the other hand, the projection-penetrated fabric strap segment 43 is quickly releasable from the projections '35 when it is pulled or pushed outwardly away from face 33 and/ or in an axial direction the same as the direction of slant of projections 35. The slanting projections of the aforesaid character, therefore, provide a straplocking or strap-securing function when the adjustable strap is in axial tension while also providing a quick release function when it is desired to adjust the overall strap length.

To illustrate, assume that the adjustable strap of FIGS. 1 and 2 is a shoulder strap in which the strap portion 19 is secured to the back part of a slip or brassiere and in which the strap portion 26 is attached to the front part of said slip or brassiere with the length adjustable elements located on the front portion of the shoulder strap.

The shoulder strap is lengthened by shortening the length of the loop 40. This is done by holding side bars 11 and 12 of the buckle-slider between the thumb and forefinger of one hand, slipping strap segment 41 through the space 42 between tips of legs 17 and 18 to release the projection-penetrated strap segment 43 from the projections 35, and pulling strap segment 41 in an outwardly direction away from face 13. The loop segment 40 of strap portion 26 slides axially over crossbar 22 and crossbar 15, thereby drawing the buckle-slider 10 toward the slide member 20, shortening the length of loop 40 and lengthening the overall length of the adjustable strap.

To shorten the overall length of the adjustable shoulder strap above described, the loop*40 is lengthened as follows. The buckle slider 10 is gripped between the thumb and forefinger as above described. The strap segment 26 may be left threaded through the buckle-slider 10 as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the strap segment 31 of the loop 40 is drawn in a direction away from the buckle-slider. The threaded strap portion 26 will slide through the buckle-slider because the strap segment 43 is being drawn over face 33 of crossbar 13 in the same direction as the direction of slant of projections 35.

Alternatively, loop 40 can be lengthened by gripping the buckle-slider between the thumb and forefinger as aforedescribed and pulling it in a direction away from slide member with sufiicient force to cause the strap portion 26 to slide through the slide-buckle. The necessary force is greater when the strap portion 26 is threaded in the buckle-slider as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 than is the case wherein the strap segment 41 is worked through space 42 as aforedescribed to unthread the strap before the buckle-slider 10 is pulled away from the slide member 20.

The length-adjustable strap assembly of FIGS. 6 and 7 uses the same buckle-slider 10. It comprises a strap portion 45 with a loop 46 about crossbar 14, which loop is formed by stitching at 47 the looped end of the strap. The other strap portion 48 has one end 49 threaded through the buckle-slider 10 whereby the strap portion 48 is threaded behind or beneath legs 17 and 1 8, upwardly or outwardly through space 34, across face 33 of crossbar 13, through space 32 and then reversely behind or beneath the rear or underface of crossbar 13 and a segment of strap portion 48. This adjustable strap embodiment does not have a length-adjustable loop, and the overall length of the adjustable strap can be shortened by simply pulling on the free end portion 49 to draw the threaded strap portion 48 through the slide-buckle. The strap segment 50 may be worked through the space 42 in the manner aforedescribed before pulling the free end 49, but this is usually not necessary.

The adjustable strap of FIGS. 6 and 7 may be lengthened by working the strap segment 50 through space 42 to unseat the projections 35 from the projection-penetrated strap segment 51 and pulling the free end 49 back through space 32.

When the adjustable strap, threaded as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, is in tension, the strap segment 51 is drawn toward face 33, is penetrated by the projections 35, is worked downwardly by the tension forces working against the sloping undersides 39 of the projections. The free end 49 necessarily need not underlie the strap 48 as illustrated. It can project from space 32 in any direction without losing under strap tension the gripping or holding function of the slider buckle, e.g., a direction wherein the free end 49 underlies the strap portion 45.

The slanting, tapered, substantially sharp-tipped projections 35 may be oblique cones, oblique frusto-cones (slightly blunted oblique cones), oblique pyramids, oblique frusto-pyramids (slightly blunted pyramids, or oblique triangle prisms, e.g., ones with sharp-edged or slightly blunted tips and essentially parallel, oblique tri- 4- angle ends. The oblique triangle prisms are the preferred shape and are those illustrated in the drawings because of the width dimension of the relatively sharp tips, whereas the other shapes have relatively pointed tips.

The projections 35 have small dimensions. The height from the tips 38 thereof to the face 33 is in the order of 0.02 to 0.150 inch. They are spaced center-to-center in the respective rows in the order of 0.0-2 to 0.10 inch. The rows preferably are spaced closely enough so that the tips of the projections of one row actually or approximately overlie the bases of the projections of the next adjacent row (see FIG. 4). The number of projections per unit area of the portion of face 33 covered by said projections is the equivalent of about -600 projections per square inch.

The projections 35 preferably stop short of the longitudinal ends of the crossbar 13 (also the longitudinal edges of the strap member), i.e., a distance on each end equivalent to at least two or three times the center-tocenter spacings of the projections. It has been found that the projections in such arrangement function better in gripping the fabric strap than is the case where the projections extend completely or substantially completely along the crossbar 13 or completely or substantially completely across the strap width.

The invention contemplates many modifications other than those illustrated. For example, the crossbar 15 can be eliminated whereby a single space between crossbars 14 and 13 is utilized to give the combined functions of spaces 28 and 32. The strap portions 19 and 45 may be attached directly to slide member 20 and buckle-slider 10, respectively, with pins, staples, adhesive, heat sealing or the likeeliminating the stnap loop connection. Other changes or modifications can also be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as herein claimed.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. A buckle-slider device comprising an open bar frame including a pair of spaced side bars, a main crossbar joined at opposite ends thereof with the respective side bars, a second crossbar alongside but spaced from one longitudinal edge of said main crossbar and joined at opposite ends thereof with the respective side bars, contiguous edges of said second crossbar and said main crossbar defining an open space therebetween, axially opposed legs respectively joined to said side bars and extending alongside but spaced from the opposite longitudinal edge of said main crossbar, the tips of said legs being slightly spaced apart and said legs together forming a bar with a transverse split therein, and a plurality of small, tapered, relatively sharply-tipped, slanting projections emanating from a face of said main crossbar, said projections being closely spaced and arranged in at least two longitudinal rows located contiguous to said one longitudinal edge, said projections slanting in a direction outwardly from said face and away from said legs, and the longitudinal axes and the shortest sides of said projections being disposed at acute angles relative to said face.

2. A buckle-slider device comprising an open bar frame including a pair of spaced side bars, a main crossbar joined at opposite ends thereof with the respective side bars, a second crossbar alongside but spaced from one longitudinal edge of said main crossbar and joined at opposite ends thereof with the respective side bars, contiguous edges of said second crossbar and said main crossbar defining an open space therebetween, axially opposed legs respectively joined to said side bars and extending alongside but spaced from the opposite longitudinal edge of said main crossbar, the tips of said legs being slightly spaced apart and said legs together forming a bar with a transverse split therein, and a plurality of small projections shaped in the form of oblique triangle prism-s with relatively sharp tips, said projections emanating from a face of said main cross bar, said projections being closely spaced and arranged in at least two longitudinal rows located contiguous tov said one longitudinal edge, said projections slanting in a direction outwardly from said face and away from said legs, and the longitudinal axes and the shortest sides of said projections being disposed at acute angles relative to said face.

3. A buckle-slider device comprising a substantially flat, substantially rectangular, open, bar frame defined by a pair of spaced side bars, a first crossbar joined at respective opposite ends thereof to side bars near an end of each side bar, a main crossbar joined at respective opposite ends thereof to respective mid-portions of said side bars, a pair of aligned legs, the bases of said legs being joined to the respective other ends of said side bars, and the contiguous tips of said legs having a space therebetween, the respective longitudinal edges of said main crossbar and contiguous longitudinal edges of said first crossbar and said legs defining substantially rectangular spaces in said open frame on opposite sides of said main crossbar, and a plurality of small, tapered, relatively sharplytipped, slanting projections emanating from a face of said main crossbar, said projections being closely spaced and arranged in at least two longitudinal rows, said projections slanting in a direction outwardly from said face and away from said legs, and the longitudinal axes and the shortest sides of said projections being disposed at acute angles relative to said face.

4. A length-adjustable strap assembly comprising a substantially fiat, substantially rectangular, open, bar frame defined by a pair of spaced side bars, a first crossbar joined at respective opposite ends thereof to side bars near an end of each side bar, a main crossbar joined at respective opposite ends thereof to respective mid-portions of said side bars, a pair of aligned legs, the bases of said legs being joined to the respective other ends of said side bars, and the contiguous tips of said legs having a space therebetween, the respective longitudinal edges of said main crossbar and contiguous longitudinal edges of said first crossbar and said legs defining substantially rectangular spaces in said open frame on opposite sides of said main crossbar, a plurality of small, tapered, relatively sharply-tipped, slanting projections emanating from a face of said main crossbar, said project-ions being closely spaced and arranged in at least two longitudinal rows, said projections slanting in a direction outwardly from said face and away from said legs, and the longitudinal axes and the shortest sides of said projections being disposed at acute angles relative to said face, a first strap member, a slide member having a crossbar, means attaching an axial end of said first strap member to said slide member, a second, fabric, strap member, and means attaching an axial end of said second strap member to said bar frame adjacent said first-mentioned ends of said side bars, said second strap member running from said attached axial end toward said slide member, being then looped over its crossbar in axial sliding relationship therewith, and then running reversely toward said bar frame to form a length-adjustable loop, and said second strap being further threaded outwardly through the substantially rectangular space between said first crossbar and said main crossbar, over said face of said main crossbar, with said projections penetrating the fabric interstices, and inwardly through the substantially rectangular space between said main crossbar and said legs.

5. A length-adjustable strap assembly comprising a substantially fiat, substantially rectangular, open, bar frame defined by a pair of spaced side bars, a first crossbar joined at respective opposite ends thereof to side bars near an end of each side bar, .a main crossbar joined at respective opposite ends thereof to respective mid-portions of said side bars, a pair of aligned legs, the bases of said legs being joined to the respective other ends of said side bars, and the contiguous tips of said legs having a space therebetween, the respective longitudinal edges of said main crossbar and contiguous longitudinal edges of said first crossbar and said legs defining substantially rectangular spaces in said open frame on opposite sides of said main crossbar, a plurality of small, tapered, relatively sharplytipped, slanting projections emanating from a face of said main crossbar, said projections being closely spaced and arranged in at least two longitudinal rows, said projections slanting in a direction outwardly from said face and away from said legs, and the longitudinal axes and the shortest sides of said projections being disposed at acute angles relative to said face, a first strap member, means attaching an axial end of said strap member to said bar frame adjacent said first-mentioned ends of said side bars, and a second, fabric, strap member having an axial end portion threaded outwardly through said substantially rectangular space between said legs and said main crossbar, across said face with said projections penetrating the fabric interstices of said second strap, and then inwardly through said substantially rectangular opening between said main crossbar and said first crossbar.

6. A strap assembly as claimed in claim 4 wherein said projections are oblique triangle prisms.

7. A strap assembly as claimed in claim 5 wherein said projections are oblique triangle prisms.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 326,410 9/1885 Dillard 24176 380,695 4/1888 Qurin 24- 35 529,364 11/1894 Claudy et a1 24-32 2,257,494 9/ 1941 Brown 2-73 2,473,209 6/1949 Lombardi 24-200 X 3,214,815 11/1965 Mathison 24-200 FOREIGN PATENTS 225,165 10/1959 Australia. 538,789 11/1931 Germany.

27,710 1906- Great Britain. 478,941 1/1938 Great Britain. 369,336 3/1939 Italy.

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

E. SIMONSEN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A BUCKLE-SLIDER DEVICE COMPRISING AN OPEN BAR FRAME INCLUDING A PAIR OF SPACED SIDE BARS, A MAIN CROSSBAR JOINED AT OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF WITH THE RESPECTIVE SIDE BARS, A SECOND CROSSBAR ALONGSIDE BUT SPACED FROM ONE LONGITUDINAL EDGE OF SAID MAIN CROSSBAR AND JOINED AT OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF WITH THE RESPECTIVE SIDE BARS, CONTIGUOUS EDGES OF SAID SECOND CROSSBAR AND SAID MAIN CROSSBAR DEFINING AN OPEN SPACE THEREBETWEEN, AXIALLY OPPOSED LEGS RESPECTIVELY JOINED TO SAID SIDE BARS AND EXTENDING ALONGSIDE BUT SPACED FROM THE OPPOSITE LONGITUDINAL EDGE OF SAID MAIN CROSSBAR, THE TIPS OF SAID LEGS BEING SLIGHTLY SPACED APART AND SAID LEGS TOGETHER FORMING A BAR WITH A TRANSVERSE SPLIT THEREIN, AND A PLURALITY OF SMALL, TAPERED, RELATIVELY SHARPLY-TIPPED, SLANTING PROJECTIONS EMANATING FROM A FACE OF SAID MAIN CROSSBAR, SAID PROJECTIONS BEING CLOSELY SPACED AND ARRANGED IN AT LEAST TWO LONGITUDINAL ROWS LOCATED CONTIGUOUS TO SAID ONE LONGITUDINAL EDGE, SAID PROJECTIONS SLANTING IN A DIRECTION OUTWARDLY FROM SAID FACE AND AWAY FROM SAID LEGS,AND THE LONGITUDINAL AXES AND THE SHORTEST SIDES OF SAID PROJECTIONS BEING DISPOSED AT ACUTE ANGLES RELATIVE TO SAID FACE. 